20120507

Astronomy current events question: 2012 annular solar ecipse

Students are assigned to read online articles on current astronomy events, and take a short current events quiz during the first 10 minutes of lab. (This motivates students to show up promptly to lab, as the time cut-off for the quiz is strictly enforced!)

Southwest Oregon, northern California, and central Nevada will observe an eclipse on May 20 that is annular because:(A) it occurs on the same date every twenty years. (B) the moon is too small to completely cover the sun. (C) it will be visible for nearly the entire day.(D) this type of eclipse cannot be directly observed with the naked eye. (E) it is only visible just before sunrise, or just after sunset.